Shadows of a Bond
by Capital WHY
Summary: They are empty, lonely parallels. Their only memories of each other are the shadows that they cling to; those shadows of their former bond. A series of sixteen drabbles, Diamond/Pearl game-verse. Mizuhikishipping.
1. Everything empty

_A/n These can be read separately or as a whole. __There will be sixteen drabbles altogether to illustrate these two parallels. These take place in the Diamond and Pearl gameverse. Please review._

_Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon._

* * *

_Everything empty_

* * *

He watched her, always. She was amazing, even he had to admit. She had been young when he'd first met her, but then, so was he. He'd always known she'd amount to something. What, though, was undetermined until now. _'So now, you're a champion. I see.' _He would soon become a champion too, but in a far different sense.

They would be opposites, intertwined always, so wholly different, but unmistakably parallel. _'Parallel . . . we shall never meet, it seems.' _Yes, they were too utterly the same for each other's differences. They should, hypothetically, not be able to have any sort of relationship at all, aside from the one of hero and villain.

'_So she shall be the hero, the wonderful, amazing, powerful hero. And I am to be the lowly, twisted, foolish foe, for which there is no redemption.' _For a moment, he is scared. Scared that perhaps it _is _to be his fate. _'But no. I am no villain.' _Some nagging voice inside says that if he is no enemy to her, then she is not a hero. _'That does not define it, that word, hero. She defines it, or at least, to me.'_

The voice inside stays loud and impertinent. He has no choice but to shut out the thought altogether.

He is _empty_.

* * *

She knew he was aware of what she'd become. He always was. She'd met him when they were young, so full of life, even him with his odd mannerisms and cold countenance. He'd been drained of that somewhere along the line, somehow. Now, he had his goals, and they were his _life. _It was an unfulfilling life, to say the least. It would end sad and alone.

She often considered that in sorrow.

They were opposites. She knew that. He knew that. Everyone else in the world had no inkling of the friendship the two had once had; the bond they'd shared. He'd hacked away at it until she couldn't hold it together anymore. But there was still a strand of what had been.

'_They call me the hero. That's what I'm supposed to be. I cannot exceed their expectations, nor even match them. I am merely human. They want more of me than there is.' _She doesn't like where this is headed. Some nagging voice inside reminds her that this was what she wanted. She had to cut all ties to her town's traditions for that, and that was no small feat. _'It's too much for me. He'd understand. He's the only one I can think of that would.'_

But that voice says he's the villain. The night to her day. The red to her white. It makes her stop. It makes her wonder.

She is _empty._


	2. gives time to repeat,

_gives time to repeat,_

* * *

The next time he sees her, he is at Spear Pillar. True to his considerations, she is the hero, coming in her kindness and goodness to put an end to his conniving villainy. To put an end to all his dreams. For a moment, he thinks of throwing it all away. Perhaps she could change him, back to what they were. Perhaps they could be together again.

No. That's not how this works.

He has to be the bad guy. The bad guy always loses. He casts her one last glance as he leaves. One glance for old times.

But then, he is _gone_.

* * *

The next time she sees him, he is at Spear Pillar. He is her foe. He is the criminal she's come to vanquish. To vanquish his absurd fantasies. For a moment, she considers offering out a peaceful hand. A truce. She can try and pull him out of that muck and grime. She can bring him up to freedom. They can be free. They could be together again.

No. That's not how this works.

She has to be the hero. She has to save the world from his schemes. The good guy always wins. She looks down as he makes his escape. One last favor from her to him.

But then, she _leaves._

_

* * *

A/n I don't own Pokemon._


	3. In happenstance

_In happenstance,_

* * *

He sees her on T.V. She beats all the challengers with the bat of an eye. She is truly great. She knows she's great. That's why she's _there. _She lived up to her dream. She's _living _it.

And then there's him. He's amounted to nothing. She has her adoring fans, her warm, friendly public, backing her every move. All he had were three complaining, incompetent fools who happened to take his orders. He's jealous of her, then. She has no idea how lucky she is. Or maybe she does. Maybe she's aware of it all, and that's why she probably never thinks of him, never dreams of him, never wonders about him.

All her thoughts of him must be merely _happenstance._

* * *

She worries about him. Perhaps he's been captured, or is hiding out in some dangerous area. He _is _dangerous, himself. She knows that. But that was what he wanted, right? _"I want to be great!" _He'd told her. _"I want people to know my name, to fear me." _That's where they'd first begun their many arguments. And everyone _did _know his name. They'd whisper it in fear, that _madman _who may destroy all of Sinnoh, maybe more. So, in a twisted way, he's _living _his dream.

And then there's her. Sure, she's the champion now. But it comes with an insane amount of responsibility. She wonders how the champions of past dealt with it, and knows now why she received a knowledgeable, pitying smile when she'd won. At least he had those commanders with him. She know _she'd _be happy with only three people by her side, rather than the tens of thousands who cheered her on. They depend on her to win, and if she failed them . . . She's jealous of him, then. He has no idea how lucky he is, even in running, and hiding. She would do it. It would be more like living than what she has now. Maybe, though, he _does _know how lucky he is. Maybe he's aware of it all, and that's why he probably never thinks of her, never dreams of her, never wonders about her.

All his thoughts of her must be merely _happenstance._

_

* * *

A/n I don't own Pokemon._


	4. simply to the meek

_simply to the meek._

* * *

He is wandering now. He has no place to go. His twisted family relations were too broken to be picked up again. His commanders simply follow behind because they, too, have nowhere to go. He lurks in the shadows and watches people live. Normal people. People who hadn't kidnapped, stolen, lied, or blown up things to get what they wanted. Okay, maybe some of them had. But not all of them, or not on such a large scale as he had, surely.

As he watches, he sees the innocence of a small child, and it makes him remember. He remembers what he used to be. But mostly, he recalls when he'd met _her._ She was younger than him by two years, but that didn't stop her from enjoying his presence. Sometimes, he wondered if she'd just picked him randomly, out of boredom, or something. But they had been close, eras ago. Many, many eras ago.

When they were _innocent._

* * *

She wanders now. She has a home, friends, family, but all those remind her of the sacrifices she'd made to gain her position, and how much she just wanted to _give up _sometimes. She lingers behind, breathing the air, just being a normal person, but instead with no mission, no goal. She just is. As she goes, she watches the people go by with a small sad smile. Ah, what a reality she'd dumped for such a high place in society. These people were normal. These people were _real. _They weren't faking anything, or on their best behavior, or dressed for the occasion, or anything. They were moving on with life.

As she watches, she sees the innocence of a small child, and it makes her remember. She remembers what she used to be. But mostly, she recalls when she'd met _him. _He was older than her by two years, but that didn't stop him from accepting her company. Sometimes, she wondered if he let her be in his general area simply because he was tired of having no one there for so long, or something. But they had been close, eras ago. Many, many eras ago.

When they were _innocent._

* * *

_A/n I don't own Pokemon._


	5. What doesn't rhyme

_What doesn't rhyme_

* * *

He didn't fit in. That fact was painfully obvious. No one, not even one of his commanders, was like him. He had a drive, and an end in mind, but no means to get to it. She'd always said it was a worthless effort. That people would have to be _mad _to want what he was proposing. A perfect world, she argued, can only be inhabited by perfect people. Perfect people don't exist.

Thus, no perfect world.

Of course she was right. It made complete sense. In fact, she was stating something he was already quite aware of. It _wasn't _perfection he was going for. That was a cover-up, and she could see right through it. He wanted control, a goal more difficult yet more rewarding than 'power'. Money sometimes yielded power, which yielded many things, the cream of the crop being control. That was what he wanted. And that was where they were both the same.

They were alike in their _differences_.

* * *

She didn't fit in. That fact was painfully obvious. No one was like her. She had been driven, from the start, to become what she was now. And now, part of her wished she could go back. He'd told her it was a good dream. A nice dream. A dream she wouldn't like. She'd demanded to know why. He'd replied that she would tire of the responsibility, of the constant want of her attention. She'd be the greatest, and be expected to act the part constantly.

She didn't listen.

He was right, though. Now, she saw that. She should have given herself a chance to live, to have a plain life without the harsh suppositions thrust upon her. She really ought to have listened. Of course, she wanted to be the best not just to shrug off her role as a girl in Celestic Town. No, if she was honest with herself, she wanted control. Control over what she could and could not do, and maybe more than that. But instead, she was locked up even tighter. She couldn't free herself from the chains of a champion. She wanted control. And that was where they were both the same.

They were alike in their _differences._

_

* * *

A/n I don't own Pokemon._


	6. gives way to pain,

_gives way to pain,_

_

* * *

_

Nothing made sense anymore except the pain. That was all that made sense in this messed up, frustrating world. At least he knew who to blame for the pain. It was her. Well, deep inside he knew it was his fault, but he would never admit it. Not to himself, not to anyone. Only to her. Maybe.

After all, he had found it very hard to lie to her in the past, so he imagined that it carried on into the present as well. The future . . . well the future was undocumented. Unknown. He wanted so badly to know what lay out there; what kind of world it would be, what kind of person he would be.

Would he still be this monster he was so sick of?

Only the pain kept him _aware._

* * *

Nothing made sense anymore except the pain. That was all that made sense in this messed up, frustrating world. At least she could pin the blame down on someone. It was him. Well, deep inside, she knew it was her fault, but she would never admit it. Not to herself, not to anyone. Save him. Maybe.

After all, she had found it quite difficult to lie to him in the old days, so she imagined it carried on to today as well. The days that laid ahead . . . well, those were undocumented. Unknown. She wanted with all her heart to know what was beyond; what kind of life everyone would live, what kind of person she would be.

Would she still be this shell she was so sick of?

Only the pain kept her _aware._

_

* * *

A/n I don't own Pokemon._


	7. And in my forest

_a.n. It's been too long since I've been writing... here's my little attempt at a remedy. And I don't own pokemon. {- duh_

* * *

_And in my forest,_

* * *

He lived in a world of his own. There was nothing to hold him back, there. No one to tell him he was crazy. No one to spit on his dreams, or mock the desires of his heart. He could tend for his wounded soul, hiding it away so that no one could see it existed.

He would pretend that everything was okay, just like when he was a child. It helped him maintain his cold, dark, nothingness that he showed everyone else.

He'd only opened once. He'd only ever taken one person into that world of his. He couldn't say he'd do it again.

_But,_ he didn't regret it either.

* * *

She lived in a world all her own. She didn't have to save the world over and over and over again. She didn't have millions of people depending on her to be at her best. It was there that she could be herself, she had no perfect appearance to maintain.

She could pretend that nothing bothered her, that she was strong enough to bear the weight of all of those responsibilities. She could hide all her insecurities, her insufficiencies, her fears. She _would _hide them. It wasn't like she had a choice.

Her world was one built of necessity, not of want. She had modeled it after a state of mind she'd once had the privilege of seeing. It was scarred, beautiful... warped. She couldn't say she'd go there again.

_But, _she didn't regret it either.


End file.
